Water Yield Modelling, Sensitivity Analysis and Validation: A Study for Portugal

The spatially explicit assessment of freshwater is key to introduce the ecosystem services (ES) concept into decision-making processes. Many tools are being developed to model water balance and to analyze the effects of meteorological conditions on water ES behaviors at multiple spatial scales. The current study uses the InVEST Annual Water Yield Model (WYM) to assess water availability in watersheds of the mainland of Portugal. The methodology included sensitivity analysis to test different parameters of the model and validation using the European Environment Agency (EEA) database on the quantity of Europe’s water resources. To evaluate the models’ sensitivity, Pearson’s correlation coefficients and statistical methods were calculated for each simulation. Results at the national level show a correlation coefficient of 0.803 with statistical significance for 0.01 one-tail. Water yield was underestimated by 56.5 mm/ha/year in the North of the country and overestimated by 58.1 mm/ha/year in the South. This difference was explained through the spatial-temporal assessment of the main climatic variables used as input. This study contributes to a methodology to assess the level of confidence in the WYM outputs and can be used to support the trustworthiness of water availability studies, using open-access data and software.

Download Full-text

Water yield modelling, sensitivity analysis and validation: a study for Portugal

10.1101/2021.03.20.433030 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Bruna Almeida ◽

Pedro Cabral

Keyword(s):

Sensitivity Analysis ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

National Level ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Water Yield ◽

Yield Model ◽

The North ◽

Mainland Portugal

AbstractThe spatially explicit assessment of freshwater is key to introduce the ecosystem service (ES) concept into decision-making processes. Many tools are being developed to model water balance and to analyse the effects of meteorological conditions on water ES behaviours at multiple spatial scales. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies that analyse the sensitivity of these models and estimate the model’s accuracy. The current research uses the InVEST Water Yield Model (WYM) to assess freshwater ES between 1990 and 2018 at River Basin District (RBD) level in mainland Portugal. The methodology included sensitivity analysis simulations to test different parameters of the model over two different sources of meteorological data. We validated the model with the European Environment Agency (EEA) database on the quantity of Europe’s freshwater resources. To evaluate the models’ sensitivity, Pearson’s correlation coefficients and statistical methods were calculated for each simulation. The model which obtained the best performance in the sensitivity tests was retained for further analysis and calibration and its accuracy was assessed by comparing the mean estimated water yield (WY) with mean observed values for 2018. Results at the national level show a correlation coefficient of 0.803 with statistical significance for 0.01 one-tail. The WY in the RBDs of the North of the country was underestimated by 56.5 mm/ha/year and for the RBDs in the South of Portugal, the WY was overestimated by 58.1 mm/ha/year. This difference was explained through the spatial-temporal assessment of the main climatic variables used as input. This study contributes to a methodology to assess the level of confidence in WYM outputs and can be used to support the trustworthiness of water availability studies at sub-watershed, watershed, or RBD, using open access data and software.

Download Full-text

TBE in Italy

Tick-borne encephalitis - The Book ◽

10.33442/26613980_12b15-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Surveillance System ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

National Level ◽

Case Series ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Mountainous Regions ◽

North East ◽

The North ◽

Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽

Low Incidence

Italy is considered a low-incidence country for tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Europe.1 Areas at higher risk for TBE in Italy are geographically clustered in the forested and mountainous regions and provinces in the north east part of the country, as suggested by TBE case series published over the last decade.2-5 A national enhanced surveillance system for TBE has been established since 2017.6 Before this, information on the occurrence of TBE cases at the national level in Italy was lacking. Both incidence rates and the geographical distribution of the disease were mostly inferred from endemic areas where surveillance was already in place, ad hoc studies and international literature.1

Download Full-text

ESTIMASI HASIL AIR DARI DAERAH TANGKAPAN AIR DANAU RAWA PENING DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN MODEL INVEST

MAJALAH ILMIAH GLOBE ◽

10.24895/mig.2017.19-2.578 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 157

Author(s):

Nunung Puji Nugroho

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Water Resources ◽

High Water ◽

Water Yield ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Yield Model ◽

Catchment Areas ◽

Integrated Valuation ◽

Valuation Of Ecosystem Services

ABSTRAKInformasi hasil air dari suatu ekosistem sangat penting dalam pengelolaan sumber daya air. Dalam perencanaan kegiatan konservasi sumber daya air, informasi sebaran spasial hasil air diperlukan untuk menentukan prioritas wilayah terkait dengan alokasi anggaran. Hasil air dari suatu ekosistem atau daerah aliran sungai (DAS) dapat diestimasi dengan menggunakan model hidrologi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan informasi tentang hasil air, baik besaran maupun sebaran spasialnya, dari daerah tangkapan air (DTA) Danau Rawa Pening. Hasil air dari lokasi penelitian dihitung dengan menggunakan model hasil air pada InVEST (the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs), yang didasarkan pada pendekatan neraca air. Hasil perhitungan menunjukkan bahwa volume hasil air di DTA Danau Rawa Pening pada tahun 2015 adalah sekitar 337 juta m3. SubDAS Galeh, sebagai subDAS terluas, merupakan penghasil air terbesar (72,4 juta m3) diikuti oleh subDAS Sraten (66,8 juta m3) dan Parat (62,4 juta m3). Secara spasial, hasil air di lokasi kajian mempunyai nilai antara 0 hingga 29.634,19 m3/ha. Wilayah hulu dan tengah subDAS Sraten secara umum mempunyai hasil air yang lebih tinggi, sedangkan wilayah danau dan sekitarnya serta hulu subDAS Galeh mempunyai hasil air yang lebih rendah dibandingkan dengan wilayah lainnya. Wilayah dengan hasil air tinggi dapat diprioritaskan dalam kegiatan konservasi sumber daya air untuk mendukung pasokan air ke Danau Rawa Pening.Kata kunci: hasil air, daerah tangkapan air, model InVEST, Danau Rawa PeningABSTRACTAccurate information on water yield from an ecosystem is very important in the management of water resources. In the planning of water resources conservation activities, the information on the spatial distribution of water yield is needed to determine regional priorities related to budget allocations. The water yield from an ecosystem or watershed can be estimated using a hydrological model. This study aimed to obtain information about the water yield, both the magnitude and their spatial distribution, from the catchment areas of Lake Rawa Pening. The water yield from the study area was calculated using the water yield model in InVEST (the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs), which based on the water balance approach. The results indicated that the volume of water yield in Lake Rawa Pening for 2015 is approximately 337 million m3. Galeh subwatershed, as the largest subwatershed, is the largest water producer (72.4 million m3), followed by Sraten subwatershed (66.8 million m3) and Parat subwatershed (62.4 million m3). Spatially, the water yield at the study site has a value between 0 to 29,634.19 m3/ha. Upstream and middle areas of Sraten subwatershed generally have higher water yield, while the lake and its surrounding areas as well as the upstream of Galeh subwatershed have lower water yield compared to other regions. The regions with high water yield can be prioritized in water resource conservation activities to support the supply of water to Lake Rawa Pening.Keywords: water yield, catchment areas, InVEST model, Lake Rawa Pening

Download Full-text

Analysis of 220 Years of Floodplain Population Dynamics in the US at Different Spatial Scales

Water ◽

10.3390/w13020141 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 141

Author(s):

Firoza Akhter ◽

Maurizio Mazzoleni ◽

Luigia Brandimarte

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Large Scale ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

National Level ◽

State Level ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Protection Measures ◽

Management Planning ◽

The Us ◽

Over Time

In this study, we explore the long-term trends of floodplain population dynamics at different spatial scales in the contiguous United States (U.S.). We exploit different types of datasets from 1790–2010—i.e., decadal spatial distribution for the population density in the US, global floodplains dataset, large-scale data of flood occurrence and damage, and structural and nonstructural flood protection measures for the US. At the national level, we found that the population initially settled down within the floodplains and then spread across its territory over time. At the state level, we observed that flood damages and national protection measures might have contributed to a learning effect, which in turn, shaped the floodplain population dynamics over time. Finally, at the county level, other socio-economic factors such as local flood insurances, economic activities, and socio-political context may predominantly influence the dynamics. Our study shows that different influencing factors affect floodplain population dynamics at different spatial scales. These facts are crucial for a reliable development and implementation of flood risk management planning.

Download Full-text

Study of water storage variations at the Pantanal wetlands area from GRACE monthly mass grids

Journal of Geodetic Science ◽

10.1515/jogs-2019-0013 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 133-143

Author(s):

Ayelen Pereira ◽

Cecilia Cornero ◽

Ana C. O. C. Matos ◽

M. Cristina Pacino ◽

Denizar Blitzkow

Keyword(s):

Water Mass ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Water Storage ◽

Transport Processes ◽

Satellite Gravity ◽

The North ◽

Paraguay River ◽

Gravity Recovery ◽

Grace Mission ◽

Phase Differences

Abstract The continental water storage is significantly in-fluenced by wetlands, which are highly affected by climate change and anthropogenic influences. The Pantanal, located in the Paraguay river basin, is one of the world’s largest and most important wetlands because of the environmental biodiversity that represents. The satellite gravity mission GRACE (Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment) provided until 2017 time-variable Earth’s gravity field models that reflected the variations due to mass transport processes-like continental water storage changes-which allowed to study environments such as wetlands, at large spatial scales. The water storage variations for the period 2002-2016, by using monthly land water mass grids of Total Water Storage (TWS) derived from GRACE solutions, were evaluated in the Pantanal area. The capability of the GRACE mission for monitoring this particular environment is analyzed, and the comparison of the water mass changes with rainfall and hydrometric heights data at different stations distributed over the Pantanal region was carried out. Additionally, the correlation between the TWS and river gauge measurements, and the phase differences for these variables, were also evaluated. Results show two distinct zones: high correlations and low phase shifts at the north, and smaller correlation values and consequently significant phase differences towards the south. This situation is mainly related to the hydrogeological domains of the area.

Download Full-text

The First National Survey of Cadmium in Cacao Farm Soil in Colombia

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11040761 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 761

Author(s):

Daniel Bravo ◽

Clara Leon-Moreno ◽

Carlos Alberto Martínez ◽

Viviana Marcela Varón-Ramírez ◽

Gustavo Alfonso Araujo-Carrillo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Graphical Models ◽

Partial Correlation ◽

National Level ◽

Prediction Method ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Predictive Performance ◽

Nationwide Survey ◽

Critical Discussion ◽

Cadmium Content ◽

Soil Variables

This study represents the first nationwide survey regarding the distribution of Cd content in cacao-growing soils in Colombia. The soil Cd distribution was analyzed using a cold/hotspots model. Moreover, both descriptive and predictive analytical tools were used to assess the key factors regulating the Cd concentration, considering Cd content and eight soil variables in the cacao systems. A critical discussion was performed in four main cacao-growing districts. Our results suggest that the performance of a model using all the variables will always be superior to the one using Zn alone. The analyzed variables featured an appropriate predictive performance, nonetheless, that performance has to be improved to develop a prediction method that might be used nationwide. Results from the fitted graphical models showed that the largest associations (as measured by the partial correlation coefficients) were those between Cd and Zn. Ca had the second-largest partial correlation with Cd and its predictive performance ranked second. Interestingly, it was found that there was a high variability in the factors correlated with Cd in cacao growing soils at a national level. Therefore, this study constitutes a baseline for the forthcoming studies in the country and should be reinforced with an analysis of cadmium content in cacao beans.

Download Full-text

Biogeography of acoustic biodiversity of NW Mediterranean coralligenous reefs

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-96378-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lucia Di Iorio ◽

Manon Audax ◽

Julie Deter ◽

Florian Holon ◽

Julie Lossent ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Western Mediterranean ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Marine Biodiversity ◽

Predator Species ◽

The North ◽

Mediterranean Habitats ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

Nw Mediterranean

AbstractMonitoring the biodiversity of key habitats and understanding the drivers across spatial scales is essential for preserving ecosystem functions and associated services. Coralligenous reefs are threatened marine biodiversity hotspots that are challenging to monitor. As fish sounds reflect biodiversity in other habitats, we unveiled the biogeography of coralligenous reef sounds across the north-western Mediterranean using data from 27 sites covering 2000 km and 3 regions over a 3-year period. We assessed how acoustic biodiversity is related to habitat parameters and environmental status. We identified 28 putative fish sound types, which is up to four times as many as recorded in other Mediterranean habitats. 40% of these sounds are not found in other coastal habitats, thus strongly related to coralligenous reefs. Acoustic diversity differed between geographical regions. Ubiquitous sound types were identified, including sounds from top-predator species and others that were more specifically related to the presence of ecosystem engineers (red coral, gorgonians), which are key players in maintaining habitat function. The main determinants of acoustic community composition were depth and percentage coverage of coralligenous outcrops, suggesting that fish-related acoustic communities exhibit bathymetric stratification and are related to benthic reef assemblages. Multivariate analysis also revealed that acoustic communities can reflect different environmental states. This study presents the first large-scale map of acoustic fish biodiversity providing insights into the ichthyofauna that is otherwise difficult to assess because of reduced diving times. It also highlights the potential of passive acoustics in providing new aspects of the correlates of biogeographical patterns of this emblematic habitat relevant for monitoring and conservation.

Download Full-text

Assessment of clogging in constructed wetlands by saturated hydraulic conductivity measurements

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2019.045 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 79 (2) ◽

pp. 314-322 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

F. Licciardello ◽

R. Aiello ◽

V. Alagna ◽

M. Iovino ◽

D. Ventura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sensitivity Analysis ◽

Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Constructed Wetlands ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Pilot Scale ◽

Laboratory Scale ◽

Test Method ◽

Conductivity Measurements ◽

Multiple Spatial Scales ◽

Ks Values

Abstract This study aims at defining a methodology to evaluate Ks reductions of gravel material constituting constructed wetland (CW) bed matrices. Several schemes and equations for the Lefranc's test were compared by using different gravel sizes and at multiple spatial scales. The falling-head test method was implemented by using two steel permeameters: one impervious (IMP) and one pervious (P) on one side. At laboratory scale, mean K values for a small size gravel (8–15 × 10−2 m) measured by the IMP and the P permeameters were equal to 19,466 m/d and 30,662 m/d, respectively. Mean Ks values for a big size gravel (10–25 × 10−2 m) measured by the IMP and the P permeameters were equal to 12,135 m/d and 20,866 m/d, respectively. Comparison of Ks values obtained by the two permeameters at laboratory scale as well as a sensitivity analysis and a calibration, lead to the modification of the standpipe equation, to evaluate also the temporal variation of the horizontal Ks. In particular, both permeameters allow the evaluation of the Ks decreasing after 4 years-operation and 1–1.5 years' operation of the plants at full scale (filled with the small size gravel) and at pilot scale (filled with the big size gravel), respectively.

Download Full-text

A longitudinal study of humpback whales in Irish waters

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315414002033 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 96 (4) ◽

pp. 877-883 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Conor Ryan ◽

Pádraig Whooley ◽

Simon D. Berrow ◽

Colin Barnes ◽

Nick Massett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

North Atlantic ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Humpback Whales ◽

Migratory Species ◽

The Public ◽

Photo Identification ◽

The North ◽

Breeding Grounds ◽

Eastern North Atlantic

Knowledge on the ecology of humpback whales in the eastern North Atlantic is lacking by comparison with most other ocean basins. Humpback whales were historically over-exploited in the region and are still found in low relative abundances. This, coupled with their large range makes them difficult to study. With the aim of informing more effective conservation measures in Ireland, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group began recording sightings and images suitable for photo-identification of humpback whales from Irish waters in 1999. Validated records submitted by members of the public and data from dedicated surveys were analysed to form a longitudinal study of individually recognizable humpback whales. The distribution, relative abundance and seasonality of humpback whale sighting records are presented, revealing discrete important areas for humpback whales in Irish coastal waters. An annual easterly movement of humpback whales along the southern coast of Ireland is documented, mirroring that of their preferred prey: herring and sprat. Photo-identification images were compared with others collected throughout the North Atlantic (N = 8016), resulting in matches of two individuals between Ireland and Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands but no matches to known breeding grounds (Cape Verde and West Indies). This study demonstrates that combining public records with dedicated survey data is an effective approach to studying low-density, threatened migratory species over temporal and spatial scales that are relevant to conservation and management.

Download Full-text

Spatio-temporal variation of water supply in Guizhou Province, China

Water Policy ◽

10.2166/wp.2016.036 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 181-195 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Huiqing Han ◽

Yuxiang Dong

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Water Supply ◽

Urban Expansion ◽

Guizhou Province ◽

Water Yield ◽

Freshwater Ecosystem ◽

Yield Model ◽

Invest Model ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

The Impact

Water supply is an important freshwater ecosystem service provided by ecosystems. Water shortages resulting from spatio-temporal heterogeneity of climate condition or human activities present serious problems in the Guizhou Province of southwest China. This study aimed to analyze the spatio-temporal changes of water supply service using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model, explore how climate and land-use changes impact water supply provision, and discuss the impact of parameters associated with climate and land-use in the InVEST model on water supply in the region. We used data and the model to forecast trends for the year 2030 and found that water supply has been declining in the region at the watershed scale since 1990. Climate and land-use change played important roles in affecting the water supply. Water supply was overwhelmingly driven by the reference evapotranspiration and annual average precipitation, while the plant evapotranspiration coefficients for each land-use type had a relatively small effect. The method for sensitivity analysis developed in this study allowed exploration of the relative importance of parameters in the InVEST water yield model. The Grain-for-Green project, afforestation, and urban expansion control should be accelerated in this region to protect the water supply.

Download Full-text